Why did Draupadi Marry Pandavas and not just Arjuna alone?

1

Arjuna in Swayamvar

After hitting the fish's eyes in the swayamvar of Draupadi, the disguised Arjuna, along with his brothers, treads towards the hut where mother Kunti is waiting for them.

2

Arjuna to Mata Kunti

As soon as they reach the hut, Arjuna calls his mother in delight and says, “Look what we have got as bhiksha.”

3

Distribute the Bhiksha

Mata Kunti, who is praying at that moment, without looking what exactly it is, announces, “whatever Arjuna has got as bhiksha should be equally distributed amongst the five brothers.”

4

Marry All...

However, when Kunti realizes that it is not food but a bride, she is depressed to have said those words because, as a custom, the Pandavas will now have to obey her word, which means Draupadi had to marry not just Arjuna but the rest of the four brothers as well.

5

Krishna consoles Kunti

This makes Kunti sorrowful, but Lord Krishna comes to the spot and consoles Kunti. He then tells her about Draupadi’s Tapasya in her previous life in front of Lord Shiva to endow her with a husband with 5 qualities.

6

Aashirwaad by Lord Shiva

Following this, Draupadi was given the aashirwaad by Lord Shiva that she will be married to 5 men in her next life, each having one of the qualities she had asked for.

7

Not Kunti's fault?

Making it very clear that it was Draupadi’s destiny to marry 5 men and not Kunti’s fault.

8

Dhrishtadyumn to his father

Dhrishtadyumn had followed her sister after her swayamvar to see who the Brahmans really were. After seeing this drama from a distance, he then runs to his father to tell him that the Brahman who won Draupadi over the swayamvar was none other than Arjuna himself.

9

Drupad happy?

Drupad is happy to know that his wish of marrying his daughter to Arjuna is finally fulfilled.

10

Drupad happy or sad?

Dhrishtadyumn then completes his narration by mentioning that Draupadi has to marry all five brothers. This makes Drupad sad as he thinks this is against the law.

11

Ved Vyasa convinces

Ved Vyasa, however, convinces him that since Lord Shiva is behind this, it cannot be dharma.

12

Grand Reception Party

Satisfied with Ved Vyasa’s words, he then arranges a grand reception for Pandavas and Draupadi.

13

Polygamy Vs. Polyandry

In early societies with high infant mortality rates and short lifespans, polygamy was preferred to polyandry. When a man had many wives, the family could have more children than many husbands.

14

Women’s rights during that era?

This value to fertility is one of the reasons why women were usually kept in seclusion and safety, a practice that eventually led to the throttling of women’s rights. But polyandry had benefits too –sharing a wife assured sharing of property and no land division.

15

Fighting for wives

One hears of co-wives fighting over their husband’s affection. Did the husbands fight over Draupadi? The epic does not explicitly discuss this, but the possibility of jealously tearing the brothers apart is alluded to repeatedly.

16

The symbolism of Draupadi being married to 5 Pandavas

Arjuna was the reincarnation of “Nara” Krishna was the reincarnation of “Narayana.” Draupadi was the reincarnation of “Lakhsmi.”